There are several underlying shifts that set the scene for how the trends for 2016 should be read. One of the shifts are that several futuristic things might actually be available soon because mass markets are appearing quicker than ever. Also, the report states that early adopters are less important than before. As the speed of technology adoption increases, mass-market use becomes the norm much quicker than before. These days, successful new products and services can reach the market in only a matter of years. Another shift is that all consumer trends involve the internet in some way, since many aspects of our physical lives are merging with our online habits. Even though we're not physically more mobile, our online activities are less restricted by our surroundings nowadays.

For this background, the report states the following ten hot consumer trends for 2016: